The Foundling Dragon Wants to Be Emperor

The Foundling Dragon Wants to Be Emperor. Spoils of war? Prisoners?

Right, that had to be it.

The humans in the paintings were warriors and heroes who had once tried to slay the evil dragon Lance.

Perhaps the evil dragon Lance had been too powerful, and the warriors and heroes who had tried to slay him had failed, becoming his prisoners. The weapons used by those warriors, heroes, and mages had become Lance's spoils of war.

They had become the evil dragon Lance's prisoners, and he had painted them.

"Are these weapons your spoils of war?"

"No, they're my collection. Like that Smurf. Oh, I mean that Deep Blue Greatsword. That's my weapon."

"???"

Lucia blinked her clear, foolishly wide eyes a few times.

The evil dragon Lance used weapons too? No, that deep-blue greatsword was just the right size for a human to wield.

If Lance used it, would it be a toothpick? Once the greatsword was in the evil dragon's claws, she could not think of any other use for it.

"The humans in the paintings... were they warriors and heroes you defeated? Are they your prisoners?"

"No, they're my companions. My teammates."

"???"

Not prisoners?

Companions? Teammates?

Lucia suspected she had misheard. The humans in the paintings all looked upright and righteous. No matter how she looked at them, they did not seem like people who would commit evil alongside an evil dragon.

"Humans would cooperate with ev— with us evil dragons?"

Lucia voiced her doubts.

Lance turned and grinned at Lucia, clearing up her confusion. "Humans won't cooperate with us evil dragons, but we dragons can take the initiative and go play with humans. Did you forget that we dragons can turn into humans?

"In humanity's fixed impression, we evil dragons like kidnapping princesses, raiding small human towns, attacking merchant caravans, and causing trouble everywhere.

"Most evil dragons really are like that, so humans aren't wrong to think so. But from the day I hatched, evil dragons came in two kinds: other evil dragons, and the evil dragon Lance."

Wasn't he still an evil dragon? Was there really a difference?

Oh, there did seem to be a difference. Other evil dragons might not know how to farm, build gardens, construct infinity pools, or make hot springs. "Lance, why did you think of going to play with humans?"

"Too much stillness makes one restless. And I was bored, so I went to find some interesting humans to play with."

Lucia nodded as though she understood. The evil dragon Lance had gone into the human world to find interesting humans to play with, not in his dragon form, but transformed into a human.

He really knew how to have fun. The evil dragon Lance definitely was not an evil dragon in the traditional sense.

Lance had stirred Lucia's curiosity. "Lance, when you turn into a human and go to the human world, what kinds of people do you usually play with?"

"That's hard to say. If I want to learn a craft, I seek out master craftsmen. If I'm short on money, I work as a mercenary or adventurer, or join a Hero Party to earn some extra coin.

"Of course, sometimes I serve as the captain of a Hero Party, recruit members, and lead them to slay monsters and purify the undead. If there are evil dragons around, I lead the party to slay them too."

"???"

An evil dragon's life could be this colorful?

If she had not heard Lance talk about his past, Lucia felt that she never would have imagined, even on her deathbed, that an evil dragon could know how to have fun like this.

But as an evil dragon, transforming into a human and recruiting members to slay fellow evil dragons... wasn't that a little wicked? A little too outrageous?

"Um... doesn't your conscience hurt when you slay your own kind?"

"The evil dragons I slay are all impure-blooded drakes. At most, they get beaten up by me. If other heroes slay them, they might lose their lives."

Lucia nodded. She believed Lance. Although they had not known each other long, Lance gave her the feeling that he would not lie.

"So the humans in those paintings are your close friends."

"Not all of them are close friends. Some are my enemies."

"..."

Lucia trembled. What did it feel like to be remembered by an evil dragon who could live for thousands, perhaps ten thousand years? She did not know, and she did not want to know.

The evil dragon Lance held grudges.

She could not offend him, much less make him angry with her.

"I have to become an outstanding evil dragon like you!"

"You don't have to become an evil dragon like me. Just be yourself."

"No, I have to become an evil dragon like you! I want to be a warrior, a hero, an emperor! And raise Imperial Daughters!"

Lucia suddenly realized that Lance could transform into a human and enter the human world as a warrior, hero, mercenary, or adventurer. Then why could she, a young dragon transformed from an Imperial Princess, not openly declare that she wanted to be emperor?

When she turned back into a human, she would definitely return to the imperial capital, reclaim the throne that belonged to her, and become emperor of the Farolyn Empire!

The more Lucia thought about it, the more excited she became. And as her excitement rose, her fear of Lance diminished considerably.

"Lance, I have two dreams."

"My first dream is to become an outstanding evil dragon like you, Lance!"

"My second dream is to go to the human world and become emperor!"

"???"

Had something strange slipped into this young dragon's dreams?

Become emperor? Why would an evil dragon want to become emperor?

Lance could understand becoming an earl, a baron, or a viscount.

After all, when he was bored, he had gone to the human world and become a soldier. Then, because he fought bravely, he had been granted a title.

He had been a baron, a viscount, and an earl.

Whether he had been an earl or a baron, it had all been for enjoying life and experiencing what it felt like to be served by cute Maids.

Becoming emperor was the one thing he had never considered.

It was not that he did not dare to think of it. He simply thought being emperor was not very interesting.

"Um... Lucia, it's good to have dreams, but our dreams can't be too outrageous. Like this dream of becoming emperor."

"Why can't we evil dragons become emperor? You've been a warrior, a hero, and all kinds of people. I think I shouldn't have much trouble becoming an emperor in the human world someday."

"It's different. Being emperor is different from being a warrior or hero. To be emperor, you need to know how to govern a country, have followers, and know how to win people over. Most importantly, if you want to become emperor, you have to start as an ordinary soldier.

"You can't just drop into a human kingdom with an established system, kill the king, and become emperor yourself. If you really did that, the great divine courts of the human world would send Holy Knights to slay you.

"And I won't allow you to bring ruin upon a peaceful human kingdom."

Huh! This evil dragon did not seem as bad as the evil dragons in the legends. Lucia's fear of Lance faded a little more. "Lance, I think dreams... don't necessarily have to come true, but you have to have them. Dreams give you motivation.

"I'll work hard for this dream. If I become emperor one day, I'll give you a princess to raise."

If she ever returned to the Farolyn Empire and reclaimed her throne from Smelly Imperial Sister Asina, she would hand Smelly Imperial Sister Asina over to Lance to raise.

Lance was serious about raising princesses.